The Irish standard., 1887-10-01
FOR ANIRISH CONSTITUTION
Sir Charles Gavan Duffy on His Own
and Other Home Rule
Projects.
TO CONSIST OF TWO CHAMBERS.

Sir Charles Proposes an Irish Senate
of Fifty-four Members Selected
From the Four Provinces.
In the Contemporary Review, Sir
Gavan Duffy, who is probably the most
distinguished of living Irish publicists
has discussed, at much length, the plans
for an Irish constitution, presenting a
rather elaborate one of his own. Sew
eraI interesting passages from his dis
sertation here follow: A scheme of
government for Ireland, manifestly
just and adequate, and at the same
time acceptable to the whole nation, is
still to be sought. Between 1842 and
1866 succession of tentative proposals
on the subject was made by men of no.
liability. O'Connell, Sharman Craw-
ford, Smith O'Brien, Gray Porter,
j. G.. Mccarthy, Isaac Butt and other
less widely known, sketched from time
to time the ground plan at least of an
Irish constitutions; hut none of these
proposals has kept possession Of the
public mind. In latter times eminent
Englishmen-Mr. Frederick Harrison,
Mr.. Chamberlain, and Professor Free
man amongst others--have attempted
the same task with only limited success.
1t is a much more serious embarrass-
ment, however, that the elaborate and
ingenious scheme formulated in Mr.
Gladstone recent bills, has not alto
gethec satisfied the friends of home
rule, either in England or Ireland. He
has, indeed, specified guiding princi-
pies which must always be kept in view
hereafter-the right of the crown, the
interest of minorities, and the control
Of the imperial Parliament over imper-
ial interests must be effectually secured
but the special machinery which he
provided for accomplishing these and
other essential ends is no longer insist
ed upon; and friendly and unfriendly
critics have been invited by MIR. Glad
stone and his colleagues to suggest a
better if they can. We must, there.
fore, begin this inquiry anew, but with
the immense advantage that skilful ex-
plorers have traversed the country and
left permanent landmarks for our
guidance. Concerning the desirability
ola dual legislative body, the writer
says: 1t is scarcely necessary to con-
tend that it ought to consist of two
chambers; for we have no experience,
and no one has any experience of any
other method of conducting response
BILE governments. The plan in Mr..
Gladstone's bill of the two houses of
orders, as they were named, sitting
habitually together, with the power of
separating Ind sitting apart in certain
contingencies, was abandoned almost
at the outset by the encouragement.
A single chamber has been pictured as
a particularly democratic instrument.
But there are three great democratic
states in the world, aud their record is
that two Of them tried the unicameral
system, and after little abandoned it
as dangerous and vicious, while the
other would never consent to try it. A
Legislature of one chamber managed
the affairs of the United States at the
outset, but it proved so inconvenient
that Washington and his associates
hastened to replace it by Congress of
two separate and independent Houses.
The first French republic began in the
same manner, and the convention fell
completely under the control of jeal-
Gus demagogue, who ruled it by sheer
terror, till every head above or on a
level with his own disappeared in the
sawdust of the guillotine basket.
Warned by it's fate, Gambetta and the
founders of the existing republic Great
ed Senate and Chamber of Deputies.
These are warnings which we cannot
afford to disregard ,and we are left in no
doubt as to the motive of the change
from one to two chambers. The most
eminent commentator on the American
constitution sa:: s that the change was
effected to create check upon hassy or
oppressive legislation, and upon the
tendencies of public bodies to accumu.
late all power and influence in their
own hands. Further on, Sir Charles
proposes: That there shall be an Irish
Senate of ffty-four members selected
from the four provinces, and then to
insure our getting the best men at the
outset they shall be nominated in the
constitution act. A list which has
undergone the scrutiny of the people,
the press and the Irish members of the
House of Commons, and which, to an
sYer it's primary purpose, must content
the judgment of the Irish nation, IS
likely to be better one than can be
got by any other process. 1t will be
canvassed over and over again by the
whole nation before it is finally adopted.
30 frame q list Of senators which would
command the confidence Of the country